Thai Basil Beef

Chubbs

Ready to do some stir fry thanks to the stir fry post last week and the great video by @Village Idiot. I have my spider and 16" wok on order from CGS. I love the Thai Basil Beef dish at this place in Columbia, SC. This version has the thinly sliced beef in a fairly thick brown sauce with snap peas, asparagus, and basil. Anyone have any good recipes for this dish? The search feature is not too great. Thanks in advance.

GrannyX4

My favorite Thai restaurant has Thai basil shrimp and it's one of my favorite dishes. If you figure out the recipe please share your findings. I have been working on that for sometime and I'm looking into a basic Chinese brown sauce that might be the answer.

Little Steven

Most Thai cooking starts with a curry of some description that is cooked in coconut milk. Generally the meat is cooked in that and vegetables are added. The common curries are green, red and Massaman(sp). Massaman is brown but light brown.

GrannyX4

Nope, this sauce isn't a curry or coconut milk. I've had those. The sauce is a fairly dark brown sauce with a nice mild flavor that can be heated up with red Thai chili.

Chubbs

Granny, that is the same type sauce that is on the dish I like at Miyos in Columbia. I am going to figure that sauce out somehow.

Little Steven

 

 

Thai Basil Beef

Source: Bon Appetit, September 1994

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INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
  
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
  
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  
• 2 teaspoons garlic chili sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno chili
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 3/4 pound beef flank steak, cut into thin diagonal slices
  
• 1/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
  
• 40 fresh basil leaves (left whole)
  
• Freshly cooked rice (Basamati is great)

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix first 7 ingredients in small bowl. Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add
   beef and stir-fry until medium-rare, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon,
   transfer to bowl.

2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil from wok. Add sauce mixture to wok and
   bring to a boil. Add chicken broth and boil until sauce thickens slightly, about
   2 minutes. Return beef to sauce in wok; add basil leaves and stir just until
   beef is cooked through, about 1 minute.

Little Steven

I found this. I have used something close to this for "Duck Darling"

Chubbs

Thanks Steven. Attached is a pic of the Thai Basil Beef from Miyos in Columbia. Cant really tell anything in the pic, but attached anyway.

GrannyX4

I found this link for a Thai brown Sauce.

http://www.shesimmers.com/2010/01/soy-sauces-used-in-thai-cooking-and-how.html

Scroll down to what she calls her "Bruno" sauce. It's a very simple sauce and I think it's close to what I have been eating.

Chubbs

Looks and sounds great. I just got confirmation that my wok and spider will be here tomorrow. Looks like I am playing with toys later this week/weekend.

GrannyX4

You have fun with your new toys. Let us know if you try the Bruno sauce.